Designer / Spring 2012 RTW

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Jonathan Anderson is the new kid on the British block, a young Northern Irishman with a fresh take on street-sportswear. After only two seasons, he is such a draw that he was given the chance to open London Fashion Week with his J.W. Anderson collection in two presentations that were packed to the windowsills at Somerset House on Saturday morning. What the editors were looking for was an update on the androgynous narrow paisley-printed pajama suits, kilts, and patchworked tweed/parka hybrids he did for fall, all of which he makes in Britain and believes on dishing out at prices people his age can actually afford.

All that pressure of expectation could cause a young designer to melt down, but Anderson kept his composure, turning out a slick show with a more elegant attitude (he had high heels for the first time) and new versions of the simple, but outstanding, two-piece numbers that several people in the audience had shown up wearing.

For this collection Anderson said he “ransacked Britain for anyone who makes technical fabric.” He found a laser-cut neoprene mesh and a tufted white plastic, exploring how modern synthetics would work with classic men’s striped shirting, leather bindings, and chain-link details. It turned out looking sharp when he focused on reinventing generics: biker jackets with cotton shirting fronts, leather backs and collars (with whip-stitched leather binding running up the sleeves), simple T-shirts and miniskirts made boxy in electric blue mesh, and more of his signature tailored pajama suits, one of which (in pink candy-stripe cotton) had a big JWA logo embroidered on the top, a sign that this kid has ambitions to build a brand.

But how, and in what direction? With this collection, Anderson branched out into asymmetrical collaged dresses with patches of colored sparkle and a finale of cardigan-composites that took on the idea of the tied-around sweaters he did last season (they came attached to the waistbands of kilts). Those pieces, more complicated and feminine than anything he’s thus far attempted, had some observers grumbling about a too-close similarity to Balenciaga. Where Anderson is on much surer ground is as a compiler and editor of pure and simple garments with a minimal reference (or two) in the language of street style. What he might not realize yet is that there are already far too many tricky clothes in the world, and thousands of girls out there craving something straightforwardly cool to wear as a crisp print shirt and a neat pleated skirt. Still, the boy has time to figure that out. When Anderson loped backstage to make sure all was OK for his second show, he was mobbed by models singing “Happy Birthday,” and presented with a chocolate cake. He’s 27 today.